Household Archaeology and the Agricultural Economy of an Iron Age Village: The 10th–3rd Centuries BC at Grakliani Gora, Shida Kartli, Georgia (original) (raw)

This chapter describes earthen buildings excavated at Grakliani Gora, Shida Kartli which date from the end of the 2nd millennium to the 4th–3rd centuries BC. Archaeological excavations at the site found residential structures, with the artefacts and features inside showing that they were used for domestic purposes such as the storage and preparation of food, alongside other activities ranging from ritual practice to specialised craft working. Archaeobotanical remains recovered from buildings dating to both the earlier and later phase of occupation at Grakliani were collected, processed, and studied. Initial analysis of the archaeobotanical data shows that various grain crops were cultivated around Grakliani including broomcorn millet, wheat, barley, and rye. Insights into food preparation were provided by remnants of charred bread and porridge found in ovens, and it is possible some of the millet was being malted for brewing although further work is required for clarification. Both the architectural remains and agricultural assemblage remained remarkably similar through the 1st millennium BC, with no notable major developments or shifts, and it seems that domestic life changed little in Grakliani between the end of the 2nd millennium and the 3rd century BC. This contrasts with historical evidence of political changes over the period, when imperial powers clashed over the region, and archaeological research indicating that elite architecture, burial and lifestyles were transformed (Barnett 1982; Braund 1994; Kacharava and Kvirkveliia 2008; Tsetskhaladze 2003). This small excavation at Grakliani, therefore, underlines the importance of studying rural settlements and suggests that domestic life for much of the population may not have changed significantly during the 1st millennium BC.